Sealing film indenting device and cup sealer incorporating such an indenting device

ABSTRACT

A sealing film indenting device includes an indentation cutter pad, a movable rod movable relative to the indentation cutter pad along a moving axis, an indentation cutter mounted to the movable rod, and a drive unit. The drive unit is coupled to the movable rod for driving the movable rod to move along the moving axis between a standby position where a film lidding receiving space defined between the indentation cutter and the indentation cutter pad for receiving a film lidding to be indented, and an indentation cutting position where the indentation cutter moved toward the indentation cutter pad across the film lidding to cut indentations on the film lidding.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Taiwanese Patent Application No. 108117884, filed on May 23, 2019.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a packaging apparatus, more particularly, to a cup sealer including a sealing film indenting device.

BACKGROUND

The tea drinks sold in the bubble tea shop are typically individually loaded in a disposable cup with a film lidding on the top. The vendors will also provide a straw that allows the customer to poke through the film lidding and consume the tea drink in the cup. However, most of the straws currently available in the market are disposable and made of plastic that is difficult to degrade in the environment, which easily damage the environment after being discarded and may threaten the survival of living organisms in the environment. Therefore, in recent years, there has been emerged various environmentally friendly straws that easily degrade in the environment. However, some of them have a soft texture in comparison with the regular plastic straws and therefore it is difficult to poke through the film lidding with such straws.

SUMMARY

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a sealing film indenting device for providing weakening indentation on the sealing film so that it is more easily to be poke through by a soft-textured straw and a cup sealer incorporating the indenting device.

According to the disclosure, the sealing film indenting device is adapted to indent a film lidding, and includes an indentation cutter pad, a movable rod, an indentation cutter, and a drive unit.

The movable rod is movable relative to the indentation cutter pad along a moving axis, and includes a first and second end portions that are opposite to each other along the moving axis and that are respectively proximate to and distal from the indentation cutter pad. The indentation cutter is mounted to the first end portion of the movable rod, and has an indenting edge that faces the indentation cutter pad. The drive unit is coupled to the second end portion for driving the movable rod to move along the moving axis between a standby position where the movable rod is positioned away from the indentation cutter pad, with a film lidding receiving space defined between the indentation cutter and the indentation cutter pad for receiving the film lidding to be indented, and an indentation cutting position where the movable rod is positioned close to the indentation cutter pad, with the indentation cutter moved toward the indentation cutter pad across the film lidding to cut indentations on the film lidding with the indenting edge.

According to the disclosure, the cup sealer is adapted for heat sealing a film lidding supplied along a conveying path by a loaded sealing film roll on an open end of a cup. The cup sealer includes a conveying device, the abovementioned sealing film indenting device, a cup support platform, and a heated platen device.

The conveying device includes a feeding reel for advancing the sealing film roll loaded thereon, and a take-up reel for recovering the remaining film waste thereon. The sealing film indenting device is disposed on the conveying path between the feeding reel and the take-up reel, with the film lidding passing through the film lidding receiving space of the sealing film indenting device during movement along the conveying path.

The cup support platform is disposed on the conveying path between the sealing film indenting device and the take-up reel. The cup support platform is adapted for carrying a cup to position corresponding to the film lidding and holding the cup in place. The heated platen device is disposed on the conveying path between the sealing film indenting device and the take-up reel and on top of the cup support platform. The heated platen device is adapted for forcing the film lidding into engagement with the cup to heat-seal the film lidding to the cup, with the remaining film waste moving along the conveying path to wind onto the take-up reel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a cup sealer with a sealing film roll loaded thereon;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the embodiment of the cup sealer;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a sealing film indenting device of the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the sealing film indenting device;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the sealing film indenting device from another angle of view;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 3, showing a movable rod at a standby position;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 6, showing the movable rod in a indentation cutting position; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the embodiment of a cup sealer according to the present disclosure is utilized in heat sealing a film lidding 91 to an open end of a cup (not shown). A sealing film roll 92 for supplying a plurality of film liddings 91 along a conveying path is loaded onto the cup sealer. The cup sealer includes a conveying device 1, a sealing film indenting device 2, a cup support platform 3, and a heated platen device 4.

The conveying device 1 includes a feeding reel 11 for advancing a sealing film roll 92 loaded thereon, and a take-up reel 12 for recovering the remaining film waste thereon.

Referring to FIG. 2, the sealing film indenting device 2 is disposed on the conveying path between the feeding reel 11 and the take-up reel 12 for processing the film liddings 91. Further referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the sealing film indenting device 2 includes an indentation cutter pad 21, a movable rod 22, a roller 23, a return spring 24, an indentation cutter 25, a drive unit 26, and a housing assembly 27.

The movable rod 22 is movable back and forth relative to the indentation cutter pad 21 along a movable axis (R1), and includes a first and second end portions 221, 222 that are opposite to each other along the moving axis (R1) and that are respectively proximate to and distal from the indentation cutter pad 21. The movable rod 22 further includes a rod shaft 223 connected between the first end portion 221 and the second end portion 222, and a retaining plate 224 positioned circumferentially around the rod shaft 223. The retaining plate 224 has a positioning hole 225.

The roller 23 is mounted to the second end portion 222 of the movable rod 22 and is rotatable about a rotation axis (R2) perpendicular to the moving axis (R1). The return spring 24 is sleeved on the rod shaft 223 of the movable rod 22.

Referring to FIGS. 5, 7 and 8, the indentation cutter 25 includes a body portion 251 fixed to the first end portion 221 of the movable rod 22, and a plurality of indentors 252 projecting from the body portion 251 along the moving axis (R1) and away from the second end portion 222 of the movable rod 22. The plurality of indentors 252 together define an indenting edge 253 facing the indentation cutter pad 21 and adapted to cut indentation on the film liddings 91.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, the drive unit 26 is coupled to the second end portion 222, and includes a push-pull solenoid 261 disposed on one side of the roller 23 along a drive axis (R3) perpendicular to both the moving axis (R1) and the rotation axis (R2), and a guide block 262 coupled between the push-pull solenoid 261 and the roller 23 and disposed on the drive axis (R3). The push-pull solenoid 261 includes a solenoid body 263 and a solenoid actuated plunger 264 extending from the solenoid body 263 and driven movably by the solenoid body 263 along the driving axis (R3). The guide block 262 is coupled co-movably to a distal end of the solenoid actuated plunger 264 and has an inclined cam surface 265 being in slidable contact with a circumferential surface of the roller 23 so as to translate the movement of the solenoid actuated plunger 264 along the drive axis (R3) to the movement of the movable rod 22 along the moving axis (R1).

The housing assembly 27 includes a base wall 271, a cover 272 opposite and spaced apart from the base wall 271 in the direction of the moving axis (R1), and a surrounding wall 273 connected between the base wall 271 and the cover 272. The base wall 271, the cover 272 and the surrounding wall 273 together define a housing space 276. The roller 23 and the drive unit 26 are accommodated within the housing space 276. The solenoid body 263 of the push-pull solenoid 261 is fixed internally to the surrounding wall 273. The base wall 271 has a bore 277 disposed on the moving axis (R1). The movable rod 22 extends from the housing space 276 out of the housing assembly 27 via the bore 277. The return spring 24 has two ends abutting against the retaining plate 224 and the base wall 271, respectively.

The housing assembly 27 further includes a positioning stud 274 and a positioning roller 275. The positioning stud 274 protrudes from the base wall 271 inwardly of the housing space 276 in the direction of the moving axis (R1) and passes through the positioning hole 225 of the retaining plate 224 of the movable rod 22. The positioning roller 275 is disposed axially along the direction of the rotation axis (R2) with two ends thereof connected to the surrounding wall 273. The positioning roller 275 is in contact between the guide block 262 and the cover 272, and is rotatable with the movement of the guide block 262 as driven by the solenoid actuated plunger 264 along the direction of the drive axis (R3).

The indentation cutter pad 21 is substantially in the form of an angle plate that includes a vertical fixing plate 211 attached outwardly to the base wall 271, a horizontal plate 212 spaced apart from the base wall 271 in the direction of the moving axis (R1), and an anvil 213 protruding from the horizontal plate 212 towards the indentation cutter 25. The anvil 213 has an annular groove 214 that is open to the indentation cutter 25 and surrounded by a cutting edge 215.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the drive unit 26 drives the solenoid actuated plunger 264 away from or toward the movable rod 22 along the drive axis (R3), thereby driving the movable rod 22 to move along the moving axis (R1) between a standby position (see FIG. 6) and an indentation cutting position (see FIG. 7).

When the solenoid actuated plunger 264 is driven away from the movable rod 22, the movable rod 22 is disposed at the standby position away from the indentation cutter pad 21, and the retaining plate 224 is relatively distant from the base wall 271. A film lidding receiving space (S) is defined between the indentation cutter 25 and the anvil 213, the individual film lidding 91 proceeding to the sealing film indenting device 2 will enter through the film lidding receiving space (S), as shown in FIG. 2.

When the movable rod 22 is at the indentation cutting position, it is positioned close to the indentation cutter pad 21, the indentation cutter 25 is moved toward the indentation cutter pad 21 across the film lidding 91, and the indenting edge 253 of the indentation cutter 25 is inserted into the annular groove 214 across the film lidding 91 to cut a plurality of dotted indentions on the film lidding 91 along the cutting edge 215. The plurality of dotted indentions provide a scored circle (not shown) on the film lidding 91. At this position, the retaining plate 224 is relatively near to the base wall 271 so that the return spring 24 is compressed to bias the retaining plate 224 in the direction opposite to the base wall 271. Once the indentation cutting has been carried out, the solenoid actuated plunger 264 of the drive unit 26 is driven away from the movable rod 22 again, so that the retaining plate 224, under the biasing force of the return spring 24, returns to the position distant from the base wall 271 and the movable rod 22 is brought back to the standby position. In this way, the movable rod 22 can be moved back and forth between the standby position and the indentation cutting position repeatedly.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cup support platform 3 is disposed on the conveying path between the sealing film indenting device 2 and the take-up reel 12, and is adapted for carrying the cup to position corresponding to the film lidding 91 and holding the cup in place (i.e., each piece of the film lidding 91 when proceeding to the cup support platform 3 will be aligned to the cup and held in place).

The heated platen device 4 is disposed on the conveying path between the sealing film indenting device 2 and the take-up reel 12 and on the top of the cup support platform 3. The heated platen device 4 forces the film lidding 91 down into engagement with the rim of the cup to heat-seal the film lidding 91 to the cup, and the remaining film waste will be moved along the conveying path to wind onto the take-up reel 12. Referring to FIGS. 2, 6 and 7, when this embodiment is utilized, through movement of the indentation cutter 25 toward the indentation cutter pad 21 across the film lidding 91, the film lidding 91 will be cut by the indenting edge 253 to form an annular scored circle having dotted indentations, thus the film lidding 91 sealed onto a cup is more easily to be poked through by a soft-textured straw. In addition, through the arrangement of the guide block 262, the movable rod 22 can be driven to move along the moving axis (R1) by the solenoid actuated plunger 264 of the push-pull solenoid 261 moving along the drive axis (R3) perpendicular to the moving axis (R1). That is, the driving direction of the push-pull solenoid 261 can be changed by the guide block 262 with an inclined cam surface 265. The structure involved in this embodiment is compact and space-saving. Furthermore, the movement of guide block 262 can be prevented from shifting through the positioning roller 275, and the movable rod 22 can either be prevented from shifting through the positioning stud 274 and the through whole 277. As a result, the stability and smoothness during operation of this embodiment can be enhanced.

In summary, in the disclosed sealing film indenting device 2 and the cup sealer incorporating such a sealing film indenting device 2, the indentation cutter 25 is capable of moving toward the indentation cutter pad 21 across the film lidding 91, thereby providing indentation on the film lidding 91 to make it more easily to be poked through, the object of the invention is therefore achieved.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A sealing film indenting device adapted to indent a film lidding, comprising: an indentation cutter pad; a movable rod movable relative to said indentation cutter pad along a moving axis, and including first and second end portions that are opposite to each other along the moving axis and that are respectively proximate to and distal from said indentation cutter pad; a roller mounted to said second end portion of said movable rod and rotatable about a rotation axis that is perpendicular to said moving axis; an indentation cutter mounted to said first end portion of said movable rod, and having an indenting edge that faces said indentation cutter pad; and a drive unit including a push-pull solenoid that is disposed on one side of said roller along a drive axis that is perpendicular to said moving axis and said rotation axis, and that includes a solenoid body and a solenoid actuated plunger extending from said solenoid body and driven movably by said solenoid body along said driving axis, and a guide block disposed on said drive axis, coupled co-movably to a distal end of said solenoid actuated plunger, and having an inclined cam surface that is in slidable contact with a circumferential surface of said roller such that the movement of said solenoid actuated plunger along the drive axis drives said movable rod to move along the moving axis between a standby position where said movable rod is positioned away from said indentation cutter pad, with a film lidding receiving space defined between said indentation cutter and said indentation cutter pad for receiving said film lidding to be indented, and an indentation cutting position where said movable rod is positioned close to said indentation cutter pad, with said indentation cutter moved toward said indentation cutter pad across said film lidding to cut indentations on said film lidding with said indenting edge.
 2. The sealing film indenting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said indentation cutter has a body portion fixed to said first end portion of said movable rod, and a plurality of indentors projecting from said body portion, said indentors together defining said indenting edge.
 3. The sealing film indenting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said sealing film indenting device further comprises a housing assembly which includes a base wall, a cover opposite to and spaced apart from said base wall in the direction of said moving axis, and a surrounding wall connected between said base wall and said cover; said base wall, said cover and said surrounding wall together define a housing space for accommodating said roller and said drive unit; said base wall has a bore disposed on said moving axis, said movable rod extending from housing space out of said housing assembly via said bore; and said indentation cutter pad includes a vertical fixing plate attached outwardly to said base wall and a horizontal plate spaced apart from said base wall in the direction of said moving axis.
 4. The sealing film indenting device as claimed in claim 3, wherein: said housing assembly further includes a positioning stud protruding from said base wall inwardly of said housing space in the direction of said moving axis; said movable rod further includes a rod shaft connected between said first end portion and said second end portion, and a retaining plate positioned circumferentially around said rod shaft, said retaining plate having a positioning hole for passage of said positioning stud along the direction of said moving axis; said sealing film indenting device further comprises a return spring sleeved on said movable rod with two ends thereof abutting against said retaining plate and said base wall, respectively; and said return spring is compressed to bias against said retaining plate so that said retaining plate is resiliently urged in the direction opposite to said base wall when said movable rod is driven to said indentation cutting position.
 5. The sealing film indenting device as claimed in claim 3, wherein: said housing assembly further includes a positioning roller with two ends connected to said surrounding wall; and said positioning roller is axially disposed along the direction of said rotation axis, is in contact between said guide block of said drive unit and said cover, and is rotatable with the movement of said guide block as driven by said solenoid actuated plunger along the direction of said drive axis.
 6. The sealing film indenting device as claimed in claim 3, wherein: said indentation cutter pad further includes an anvil, said anvil having a groove that is open to said indentation cutter and surrounded by a cutting edge; said indentation cutter is inserted into said groove when said movable rod is driven to said indentation cutting position to cut indentations on said film lidding with said indenting edge along said cutting edge; and said film lidding receiving space is defined between said anvil and said indentation cutter when said movable rod is at said standby position.
 7. A cup sealer adapted for heat sealing a film lidding supplied along a conveying path by a loaded sealing film roll on an open end of a cup, comprising: a conveying device including a feeding reel for advancing said sealing film roll loaded thereon, and a take-up real for recovering the remaining film waste thereon; said sealing film indenting device as claimed in claim 1, said sealing film indenting device being disposed on said conveying path between said feeding reel and said take-up reel, with said film lidding passing through said film lidding receiving space of said sealing film indenting device during movement along said conveying path; a cup support platform disposed on said conveying path between said sealing film indenting device and said take-up reel, said cup support platform being adapted for carrying said cup to position corresponding to said film lidding and holding said cup in place; and a heated platen device disposed on said conveying path between said sealing film indenting device and said take-up reel and on top of said cup support platform, said heated platen device being adapted for forcing said film lidding into engagement with said cup to heat-seal said film lidding to said cup, with the remaining film waste moving along said conveying path to wind onto said take-up reel. 